Thursday, 9 April 2015

My name is June and am a Norwegian mum of one living in the UK. I have a passion for Scandinavian and Eclectic interior design and I love finding creative solutions to suit my limited budget and I love making things for the home (Check out my DIY gallery to see some of my projects).

I decided to join the One Room Challenge™ as a linking participant just over 2 weeks ago, as I needed a kick up the backside to redecorate my 5 year old daughter, Mia's room.

If you are not familiar with the One Room Challenge, basically it is 20 different handpicked bloggers, from all over the world + Any linking participants, like me, that have challenged themselves to all makeover a space in 6 short weeks. The idea is that by following along the various makeovers, you can pick up a trick or two to help you redecorate your own home! Please visit Calling it Home for the full lowdown and links to all the fabulously talented interior bloggers taking part and their projects.

Last week me and Mia used pinterest to decide the look she wanted in her new room, and I talked about how to find inspiration and put together the look you want( See the post here!)We also pinpointed some of the more practical things that needed to be considered, such as lack of storage and floor space....and the need for a desk!!

We have spent the last week honing in on the elements she wants in her "new" room, and today I am sharing a moodboard I've put together for the look she wants.

And I have also been working out our plan of action for the makeover, and some practical solutions to the issues in Mia's room.

In terms of paint for the walls (6), Mia has had a slight change of heart (It's a girls prerogative, don't you know?!!) and decided she still likes pink...but this time she's chosen a peachy blush pink, and we've decided to pair it with a lightish grey on the opposing walls with some graphic elements, like in the wallpaper from Ferm living (1) to make it a little less sugary sweet. Now, we can't really afford the wallpaper, so I am going to DIY a similar pattern on the wall....

I'm going to paint her wooden floorboards white to brighten up the room, like I did for the master bedroom, as this will make a huge difference to the look of the space

I am also going to make a new origami lampshade for her, similar to the pink one, above.

We really like this wall hanging desk , above (5) as it is the perfect solution to fit into her tiny room.... but as it is way out of our budget and out of stock, I am currently making some plans to DIY something similar...probably not quite as stylish, but never the less practical!

We are going to use one of these rugs (7) that we've already got, but I will treat her to a new task light above her desk, like the one , above (4) and some new artwork for the walls (3) as well as a funky storage basket(8).

Mia is keeping her blackboard wall, but I am planning on adding some picture ledges behind the door so she can keep her books there (She's loving books at the moment and her reading is coming on in leaps and bounds #proudmama) . And one of these fun cork notice boards (7) will be great for her to pin up drawings etc.. I will treat her to some new, funky bedding (11) and some new curtains(8) And I am planning on making her some fun new cushions (10,12 and 13) for her bed, so she can use the bed as a sofa during the day. I am also after a stool (9) she can sit on by her new desk, but that can also double up as a bedside table at night.

Luckily the bed she's already got has drawers underneath for storage, but I am also planning on adding some extra storage in the form of a wall cabinet or some clever shelving, as there is limited floorspace available...I am going on a charity shop hunt for something suitable this week....maybe something I can convert or paint?

As ever we are on a tight budget for this one, so when the DIY shop had a sale on paints over Easter, I jumped to it and got what I needed. It is good to set yourself a budget before starting....then keep to it! If something is out of your price range consider a compromise, and get creative with your solutions, like a DIY!

So now that I know the what we need for Mia's room makeover, I can make a plan of action:

Whenever you are planning on redecorating a space, and you've honed down the practicalities and the look that you want in terms of design, it is very important to make a plan.

Here's a few tips on how to best plan a remodel makeover:

*Get a diary and schedule in what you need to do...DON'T be too ambitious with how much you want to do each day, as that could leave you struggling for motivation should you not get as much done as you planned.

*Don't forget to schedule in time for shopping for paints etc, and plan ahead what you will need before hitting the stores.

*Always leave a little extra time at the end of the project to cover any snags or problems you may encounter along the way

It has been so much fun involving her in the design of her new look room: Choosing the colours and accessories together to create a look that is personal to her. And it has taught her that sometimes we cannot get everything we want, that things like lack of space and money calls for some creative solutions: She's even suggested we make some cushions together based on some drawings she's done....Great idea!!

Of course I am handling most of the practical elements of the makeover, and I will be getting on with painting her room whilst she's at her Nanny's over the weekend!

Tuesday, 7 April 2015

So, we're halfway through the Easter holidays, and maybe this is the point where some of the charm has worn off??

You've had the lovely food, been on the day-trips out, seen the family and been to the cinema....the kids are going stir crazy with cabin fever and you've run out of ideas...

well today I am sharing 6 easy,fun and Easter-y ideas to keep the kids occupied for just a little while longer! These makes are cute enough to keep for next Easter's decorations and doesn't need a lot of supplies or skills!

This post links to items for sale from The works, not because it is sponsored by them , but for your convenience: So that you can pick these items up easily from the high street!

Firstly: If you haven't yet made an Easter tree with the kids, this is a great way to occupy them: Get outside for a brisk walk and pick some branches to decorate and display at home: They are traditionally decorated with colourful feathers, but why not use some brightly coloured mini pom poms, like in the image above?

Of course no Easter tree is complete without some decorated blown out eggs...See my previous post here to see how I made mine this year, or visit Yes missi for 20 more creative egg-decorating ideas, like the splattered paint effect ones pictured above.

Moving on from the Easter tree, why not make a decorative feather garland?

Use some colourful feathers and wire them on to some string, or even better: (because it will keep the kids occupied for even longer :)) Set the kids to paint some watercolour feathers , cut them out and string them up, like in the image above....Visit I heart naptime for the full tutorial.

Or how about making these super cute bunny bowls in air-drying clay? These are bound to become a favourite Easter decoration for years to come, no? Visit Alice and Lois for the full tutorial!

All you need is some yarn to make the pom poms (If you don't know how, check out This easy tutorial) , some glue and some card or felt to make the ears with!

And if you get a slightly failed pom pom, or you get one spare(?) why not stick a piece of double sided tape to it and go to sugar and cloth to download this free printable "pin the tail on the bunny" image, for some fun for the littlest ones??

I hope these suggestions will go some way towards combating the kids boredom over the rest of the Easter holidays...

Monday, 6 April 2015

Easter time is for many, me included, all about quality time, and spending time with the family and eating good food is at the core of this holiday! And even though Easter has come to an end for his year, plenty of you, like me, may have another week at home with the kids off school

Mia Moo loves baking and it is something we enjoy doing together, and is a hit when it comes to busting holiday boredom.

Making sweet buns is a very Scandinavian tradition for Easter, or any celebration, really....so today I am sharing my mum's recipe for classic Norwegian "skoleboller", or custard cream filled sweet buns with a coconut covered glaze....hmmmmm, yum!!

At the heat of most Norwegian baking is a yeast dough, and as I know many of my English followers will be unfamiliar with Yeast baking, I will do a step by step of making a basic sweet yeast dough:

You will need:

For the sweet yeast dough:

1/2 litre milk

50 grams fresh yeast

1 egg

1 1/2 dl sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cardamom

150g butter

6-7 cups flour

For the custard cream filling:

Custard

Eggs

For the glaze:

Confectioner's sugar

water

Coconut

Here's how:

Heat the milk to lukewarm then crumble the yeast into the milk. Add in the egg then stir until it all dissolves. Set this mix aside.

Here in the UK, I struggle to find ground cardamom, so next up I crush a handful of cardamom pods in a pestle and mortar, and grind the seeds until I get a fine(ish) powder.

Combine the sugar, baking powder and cardamom in a large bowl.

Cut the butter into cubes....

Then using (clean) hands knead the butter into the sugar mixture.

Add the milk and yeast mixture and mix until the sugary butter dissolves.

Gradually add the flour to the liquid...

...towards the end you may need to use your hands...

...until it forms a ball.

Cover with a clean tea-towel and leave in a warm place to rise until doubled in size (1-2 hours).

Scoop the dough out of the bowl onto a floured surface, then knead the dough until elastic.

This dough is the basis for more than 6 different traditional Norwegian sweet breads, and today I will show you the "skolebolle" option:

Divide the dough into equal sized portions, each to make 1 bun.

This recipe will make approximately 12-15 buns:

Don't make them too big, as the yeast will make them swell even more when cooking.

Roll into balls, then make a dip in the middle of each ball of dough for the custard cream filling:

Making the Custard Cream filling:

In Norway you can buy this filling ready to cook, but here's a cheats way of making it:

Simply use some normal custard and mix in an egg or two to make the filling set when cooked in the oven:

Place your buns on a baking tray covered in baking paper then spoon the custard cream mix into the middle of each bun.

Cook in the oven at 220 degrees C for approximately 12-15 minutes, or until the buns are golden and the custard cream has set!

Leave your baked buns to cool down for 15 minutes, whilst you prepare the coconut and the glaze:

Place some Coconut in a bowl, at the ready, then

use some Confectioner's sugar, and slowly mix in a few drops of water until it forms a gooey glaze...don't make it too runny!!

Spoon the sugar glaze onto the buns around the custard cream centre:

Then simply dip the glazed buns into the coconut:

Trust me, this is DELICIOUS!!

Mine may not look perfect, but they are not lacking in taste:

And even my little fusspot, Mia, loves these!!

(If your kids are not sure about the coconut, simply leave it off and serve them with just the sugar glaze)

I hope you are all having a yummy Easter so far, and that you will try making some of these little treats to have with your Sunday cuppa!!